There are also graffiti and other artists, comedians, a skate park and more.

Organizers say the event has grown exponentially since its start in 2014, in the numbers of bands, other performers, artists and vendors, as well as the crowds. The first year, they say, about 5,000 people attended; last year it was 20,000.

ArtsFest is the flagship event of the nonprofit Alternative Gallery in Allentown, which has an art gallery, studio space for artists, and classes and performances. The gallery hosts shows by musicians, comedians, actors, writers, artists and photographers among others.

Bernie Reinert, festival coordinator, expects more than 300 musicians and performers and more than 100 vendors this year. About 65 bands are scheduled on three stages: Martin Guitar Stage, Tape Swap Radio Stage and Social Medium Stage.

“We have about a 30 percent increase overall, between music performances and vendor participation,” Reinert says. “Pretty much every 10 minutes something’s happening somewhere.”

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Native American folk music band Terra Cura will be back at ArtsFest on Sept. 29.

Native American folk music band Terra Cura will be back at ArtsFest on Sept. 29. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

You’d need a music primer to understand all the genres of music and their off-shoots

What, for example, is “doom metal?”

“Think heavy metal, but louder,” Reinert says.

On the other end of the spectrum is Native American folk music by Terra Cura (4:15 p.m. Saturday).

Brandon Wunder, creative director of ArtsFest, said the goal is to showcase “a multitude of cultures and ideas in art. We don’t want to just keep rehashing what’s just in our area here year after year.”

“Tug McRaw is a guitar player, a singer and a rapper and then Nai is just this little girl with this insanely soulful voice,” Wunder says. “You just wouldn’t expect it to belt out of this tiny person. I don’t usually put smaller acts on the main stage because I like to fill the stage up but they’re so powerful and they’re so good that I had to put them on our main stage this year.”

Doghouse Charlie, a popular Wisconsin group, is returning to perform psychedelic rock/folk (6:30-7:30 p.m. Saturday). Another draw is New Jersey’s Fungkshui, a psychedelic funk fusion group (1 p.m. Saturday).

KEVIN VOGRIN/CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

An artist works on her creation at Allentown ArtsFest in 2017.

An artist works on her creation at Allentown ArtsFest in 2017. (KEVIN VOGRIN/CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

“We try to keep the heavier, more intense music to the later hours when little ones aren’t typically hanging out at the festival,” Reinert says. “At every stage there’s a different genre of music happening. So if you don’t like what’s happening here, walk down the path and find the next stage.”

Another festival highlight are the 19 graffiti artists who will create work on temporary 8-by-16-foot walls lining Lake Muhlenberg during the event’s Graffiti Jam.

Some of the artists painted at 5Pointz, an abandoned warehouse in Long Island City, Queens, that was considered a graffiti mecca before it was torn down by a real estate developer. The graffiti artists sued and were awarded $6.7 million in a landmark lawsuit under the Visual Arts Rights Act.

“In the world of graffiti artists, they’re the rock stars,” Reinert says.

Jonathan Cohen, who goes by “Meres One,” was the artist who had come to an agreement with the developer to permit artists to paint 5Pointz.

Others participating include Meano, who has done high-profile murals around the Lehigh Valley.

There will also be emcee battles (like rap battles) and breakdancing.

Those who want to attempt to make their own electronic music should check out the Co.LAB Music Tent.

In 2017, there were performances by comedians spread over the three-day festival but all the stand-up this year will be on Sunday night starting at 5:15 p.m. Performers include Ian Webster, Andy Malafarina and Nate Marshall.

“I think the world of stand-up comedy fits right in with all these other alternative arts that are celebrated at this festival,” Wunder says.

Technology is the star of the Voyager Tent, where festers can play retro video games, watch animated films, see 3D printing demonstrations, talk to independent game developers and learn about do-it-yourself tech projects.

Street music and street art will be joined by street sports — skateboarding and BMX trick bike riding — in a skate park sponsored by Green Mountain Energy on the basketball and tennis courts. Visitors can bring their boards and bikes for open skates or take part in competitions Saturday and Sunday.

Skateboard manufacturer Lost Souls of Emmaus and skate shop Home Base in Bethlehem and Easton will help run the park and the competition. Those under 18 taking part will have to get a waiver signed by a parent or guardian, Reinert says.

For younger kids, there’s the Alternative Clubhouse near the playground, which will feature collaborative mural painting and other arts and crafts. The Old School Theater Company will help kids make masks at noon and 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and a costumed performer called Lola the Unicorn Princess with visit kids at 2 p.m. those days.

Pony rides, operated by Step Back in Time in Effort, will be available for a small fee.

Also at the festival will be scores of visual artists that you can observe working.

Food and beer and wine will be for sale at two ends of the festival. Blue Mountain Winery in New Tripoli will sell wine and craft breweries, including HiJinks, Fegley’s, Pizza Boy, Funk and Sly Fox — all from Eastern Pennsylvania — will sell beer. Shangy’s beer distributor in Emmaus is selling beer and coordinating with the breweries with its refrigerator truck. HiJinks is bringing its Ambrewlance — a converted ambulance turned into a tap truck.

Wunder, who is a filmmaker, plans to oversee the making of a documentary about ArtsFest to be shot by multiple videographers using different techniques and cameras, including animation and overhead shots from drones. The goal is to tell other artists about the festival.

“It’s basically going to be an art film about an arts festival,” he says. “I want someone to feel like they’re watching the festival.”

The festival relies on volunteers, sponsors and vendor fees to put on such a large undertaking.

And it welcomes people of all ages and abilities. “Everything is walkable, everything is able to be accessed with wheelchairs and strollers,” Reinert says.

She’s thrilled that the festival is a catalyst for a range of artists to meet and collaborate on future projects.

“You can find your people there,” she says. “Everybody that’s involved completely donates their time, they’re all volunteers. So it’s really phenomenal the response that we received. It’s the true definition of a grassroots event.”

DETAILS

ArtsFest

What: Music on three stages, graffiti artists, skate park, children’s activities, and a tent where people can play retro video games, watch animated films and learn about 3D printing and tech projects.